Ad Melkert

Ad Melkert
Ad Melkert in 2002
Member of the Social and Economic Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 April 2019
Chair	Mariëtte Hamer
Member of the Council of State
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 January 2016
Vice President	Piet Hein Donner (2016–2018) Thom de Graaf (from 2018)
Special Representative for the United Nations in Iraq
In office 7 July 2009 – 1 October 2011
Secretary-General	Ban Ki-moon
Preceded by	Staffan de Mistura
Succeeded by	Martin Kobler
Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme
In office 1 March 2006 – 7 July 2009
Administrator	Kemal Derviş (2006–2006) Helen Clark (2009)
Preceded by	Zéphirin Diabré
Succeeded by	Rebeca Grynspan
Leader of the Labour Party
In office 15 December 2001 – 16 May 2002
Preceded by	Wim Kok
Succeeded by	Wouter Bos
Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives
In office 13 July 1998 – 16 May 2002
Preceded by	Jacques Wallage
Succeeded by	Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven
Parliamentary group	Labour Party
Minister of Social Affairs and Employment
In office 22 August 1994 – 3 August 1998
Prime Minister	Wim Kok
Preceded by	Bert de Vries
Succeeded by	Klaas de Vries
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 19 May 1998 – 17 October 2002
In office 3 June 1986 – 22 Augustus 1994
Parliamentary group	Labour Party
Personal details
Born	Adrianus Petrus Wilhelmus Melkert (1956-02-12) 12 February 1956 (age 68) Gouda, Netherlands
Political party	Labour Party (from 1982)
Other political affiliations	Political Party of Radicals (1974–1981)
Children	2 daughters
Residence(s)	The Hague, Netherlands
Alma mater	University of Amsterdam (B.Soc.Sc, MSSc)
Occupation	Politician · Diplomat · Civil servant · Corporate director · Nonprofit director · Trade association executive · Activist

Adrianus Petrus Wilhelmus "Ad" Melkert (Dutch: [ˈɑt ˈmɛlkərt] ^ⓘ; born 12 February 1956) is a Dutch politician and diplomat of the Labour Party (PvdA) who has served as a Member of the Council of State since 20 January 2016.

Melkert studied Political science at the University of Amsterdam obtaining a Master of Social Science degree. Melkert worked as a political activist for the youth branch of the European Community in Brussels from July 1981 until March 1984 and as a nonprofit director for the charity Oxfam Novib from March 1984 until June 1986. After the election of 1986 Melkert was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives and served as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Development Cooperation and the Environment. After the election of 1994 Melkert was appointed as Minister of Social Affairs and Employment in the Cabinet Kok I taking office on 22 August 1994. After the election of 1998 Melkert returned to the House of Representatives on 19 May 1998 and declined to serve in the new cabinet and was selected as Parliamentary leader on 13 July 1998. Shortly before an upcoming election Party Leader Wim Kok announced his retirement and Melkert announced his candidacy to succeed him as Leader and was selected as his successor on 15 December 2001.

For the election of 2002 Melkert served as Lijsttrekker (top candidate) but suffered a large defeat and stepped down as Leader and Parliamentary leader on 16 May 2002 but continued to serve in the House of Representatives as a backbencher. In October 2002 Melkert was nominated as an executive director of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund serving until March 2006 when he was nominated as an Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) serving until July 2009 when he was appointed as the Special Representative for the United Nations in Iraq serving until his resignation in October 2011.

Melkert continued to be active in politics and in December 2015 was nominated as a Member of the Council of State on 20 January 2016. Melkert also became active in the private and public sectors as a corporate and non-profit director and served on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government, and works as a trade association executive serving as Chairman of the Dutch Hospitals association since December 2018 and became a Member of the Social and Economic Council for the Industry and Employers confederation (VNO-NCW) in April 2019.